Port throughput growth in China slows

BEIJING (Xinhua) – Throughput at China’s ports remained at a low level from January to October, data released by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) showed.

Freight handled at the country’s major ports grew 4.6 per cent year on year in the first ten months to nearly 9.3 billion tonnes, compared with a 9.9 per cent increase in the same period last year.

Port throughput is an important indicator of a country’s foreign trade. China’s foreign trade volume slowed to a 2.5 per cent growth from January to October from a 7.6 per cent rise in the same period in 2013.

Official data indicated that the country’s foreign trade is recovering following a hard time in the beginning of 2014.

MOT spokesman Xu Chengguang predicted that port throughput will be expanding on a year-on-year basis for the whole 2014, albeit at a slower pace.